Of Gods and Men
by mirror alchemist
Summary: Three Characters. A bond shared by all. A collection of maybe or maybe not connecting one-shots of varying genres. Rated T because people like to swear.
1. Difficulty 1

Hello! This is my first journey into something that isn't Phantasy Star so I'm a bit nervous. Anywho, the first couple of shorts are focused on my main character Ami. And were done early last year so they look a bit rough compared to later ones I'll upload.

Special thanks to the _Gods Eater Burst Challenge_ forum here, their prompts are what a large majority of these one shots will come from.

**I don't own God(s) Eater Burst.**

* * *

**Don't Run Away**

_"Eyaaaah!"_

_ Pain shot through her arm. She knelt down in the ground from the intensity of it. Her God Arc not agreeing with the new member. The pain was enough to bring tears to her eyes._

_"Leader!"_

_"Ami!"_

_"Ami."_

_She remembers the decision in her hands. She knew the end result of both choices. To kill or not._

_"Take his God Arc and put it through his chest! Don't make him suffer anymore!"_

_"But."_

_"Do you think he likes putting his comrades in this position!?"_

_"Ren, I...But I-okay."_

_ A thought, from back then. When she was just starting out. An order He gave her. Something she kept thinking of as she went through each mission. An idea she kept even to her succession to leader of His unit. _

_'Come back alive.'_

_ She opens her eyes then. For that moment the pain lessened. A moment of clarity. She had one goal in mind. She grips her blade in her left, his in her right. She looks up at the Hannibal. She sees Him, wrapped within. She starts off into a walk Then into a run. Towards it, towards Him._

_"No, Leader!"_

_"Don't do it!"_

_One goal._

_"Don't run away from the living! That's an order!"_

* * *

Light blue eyes open up. Immediately, she notices the white room. "Ami." said a male voice. Ami lifts herself up from the cot. She notices her clothing was changed into a patient's uniform. "Oh thank god." said the male. She looks to see him. "Alistair, what are you doing here?" Alistair was a God Eater, like her. They were humanity's last defense against the Aragami. She had always thought of him as just a comrade. Especially since he seemed to mock her at times. He frowned at her. "What? I can't come visit you?" She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I'm still a bit out of it." He sighed as he was leaning back into the chair. "Do you remember anything?" Ami was silent at the question. She did actually. After heading into Hannibal, she remembered grabbing into its core with her Aragami-riddled arm. Her eyes widened. "How's Lindow!?"

For a brief moment, Alistair frowned. He switched back into a nonchalant expression. "He's fine. He woke up the day after it happened. We've assumed that since you were the initiator, it took longer for you. You've been unconscious for nearly a week." She looked down at her arms. Her red armlet on her left wrist was a contrast to the white of the sick bay. "What's happened in the week?" "Nothing much. Your team has been visiting you the entire time." There was a long period of silence before he spoke again. "You went off to fight a Hannibal on your own. What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was trying to save Lindow." she simply stated.

Alistair stood up. "You almost got yourself killed! If not by the Hannibal, then taking up his God Arc would have! Rookie, dammit, don't you realize how stupid you were being! To what? For a _chance_ to save him?" Ami glared at Alistair, light blue meeting red. "He was my mentor! Of course I'd try. Why do you care so much!?" Alistair balled up his fist. "No matter what, he won't see you any more than a comrade. I hope you know that." With that statement he walked out of the room.

Ami frowned, seeing Alistair leave. "Idiot, I know that."

* * *

"Are you sure Katsume?" asked a woman.

Katsume nodded. "Go ahead, you'll be more useful to the trainees than being a secretary Tsubaki." She looked down at her mechanical right arm, joined at the shoulder. "It's not like I can do anything else anyway." Tsubaki looked at the blue haired female. "If this is what you decided, then I'll notify Fenrir." Katsume briefly smiled. "Thank you Tsubaki. It's the least I can do now." As Tsubaki left, a male walked in. The two regarded each other with a glance before she left out. Katsume shifted her mechanical arm while looking at the male. "It's good to see you walking around Lindow." "Uh, thanks. It still feels a bit unreal that I'm here you know?" She only nodded. "But that's not why I'm here Katsume. I need to talk to you." Katsume didn't hide the confused look on her face. "Huh? Oh okay." He subconsciously stroked his Aragami right arm. The constant reminder of what he went through during his absence from Fenrir.

"You know of the Resonance right?"

She nodded. "Of course, we're still trying to find out more about it. Since it seems that our first New-Type is the only one who can initiate it." He nodded. "She doesn't have great control over it, from the reports I've read. But during that time with the Hannibal I saw glimpses, I think." Katsume shook her head. "Why are you telling me this? This seems like more of the research team's department."

There was silence before he would speak again. "I'm telling you because I don't want this to be shared with anyone else. Didn't you mention you had a sibling?"

Katsume was quiet. "I did, once. I don't know what happened to them. A relative from my father's side told me." Lindow stared at Katsume. "When she dyes her hair, she does look a bit like you now that I see it. That New-Type, Ami, I think the two of you are related."

* * *

Ami made her way to see her teammates. She looked down at her feet. She knew that she had worried them by going out on her own and then winding up in the hospital for so long. "I'll be returning to duty today." "Will you be in active duty?" asked Alisa. Ami shook her head. "No. Professor Sakaki feels that they need to study the Resonance effect in me first. It's been happening often lately." She turned to the tall black haired female. "Sakuya, please lead them in my stead." "I understand. Get better soon." Ami looked down at her feet. "I feel kinda bad when you should be taking time to spend is Lindow." Sakuya shook her head. "Nonsense. This is our duty. The Aragami won't stop." Ami nodded. "Yes, of course. I should get going. "

Ami took the elevator down to the Executive floor of the Far East Branch. It was a silent ride down. Ami thought to herself as the elevator made its descent. It made the familiar ringing sound reaching its destination. Ami headed straight into the office belonging to the director.

"You sure took your time Rookie."

Ami was startled at who was standing there. "Alistair, now what are you doing here? Here to mock me some more?"

"Oh? So you two know each other. This would make it easier." said another male.

He made his way towards Ami, too close for her personal comfort. "Well, Alistair here is to help with the Resonance effect. I wonder about the limitations of the effect. What about an New Type who wasn't one in the beginning?" Ami instinctively stepped back from the close proximity of the male. "Professor Sakaki." said a female. Ami glanced over at the female. She was a little taller than her. Her dark blue hair was put into a bun. what stood out the most was that she had a mechanical right arm. "You shouldn't startle her like that. You might botch the results." He moved back a bit but still being pretty close to Ami. "You may be right Katsume. We had seen that highly emotional environments led to the effect. With Alisa and Lindow as examples." Something had struck Ami's mind during their conversation. "Wait, wasn't one before? Alistair's a New-Type?" she asked.

Alistair stood up from his seat. "I am Rookie." "You have heard about the rumor about getting more New-Types in our ranks? HQ has been testing a small amount of existing God Eaters with their injections. We have God Arcs turning white, so why not Old-Types into New-Types? Alistair is our newest New-Type recruit." Ami frowned at the explanation. She never liked experimentation on humans. It caused so much grief for her. Alistair noticed her discomfort. "Look Rookie I'm fine. And I volunteered. You can't change it now so lets just get this over with." Katsume nodded. "Yes of course. Ami if you would?" Ami went over to Alistair and stared at him. She found it odd that his hair wasn't in it's usual ponytail. Alistair held out his right hand for her. Hesitantly, Ami joined her left hand into his right hand.

* * *

_"Why me Tsubaki? Isn't that what her teammates are for?"_

_"They are suffering just the same. And she's been in her room for a long while now. I'm a bit worried about her."_

_"So, is the rumor true?"_

_"There has been discussions in HQ. So it seems likely. Don't tell her."_

_ He took the elevator to the Rookies floor of the branch. After walking down a few halls, he noticed her door. He contemplated knocking. But decided not to. _

_"Rookie." he said walking right in. _

_ For a moment he was startled. She was curled up in her bed with the sheets all over her body. He had never seen her in a state before. _

_"I'm not in the mood Alistair."_

_"At least sit up and talk. I'm not going to talk to your back."_

_ She complied. He noticed her hair longer than the last time. Almost cute-like. _

_No. _

_No. _

_He wasn't allowed to think like that. Hopefully she didn't notice the slight change in facial expressions. _

_"What do you want?"_

_"What's wrong with you? I thought you were stronger."_

_"Excuse me that I can't help feeling like this after seeing my leader sacrifice himself."_

_"He did it so the rest of you can come back. You think Amamiya would want to you see you like this? It's pathetic."_

_ There was a reason why she was compatible to be a New-Type. She went up to him. His heart sped up. Never being in such close contact with her. A slight stinging pain on his cheek. She hit him. _

_"Shut up. Don't ever say things like that to me."_

_"Wake up Rookie, this is what being a God Eater is about. I see that you bounced back quite quickly after Vogelweid passed."_

_ Her face had a tint of red. Could she be? _

_No, couldn't be... _

_Didn't she like that loner?_

_"That's different. I only met him twice."_

_"Pfft. Well whatever your reasoning to decide to act like this I really don't care. But you better cut it out quick. Your teammates need you Rookie. Don't let Amamiya's actions seem like a joke."_

_ He left her room. He couldn't bear to see her like that. It made him so damn mad. He felt his nails digging into his palm._

_'If he was alive I would punch him for making her feel like this.'_

* * *

Katsume watched the glazed over look in Ami's eyes as the Resonance took place. What Lindow had revealed to her stayed in her mind. She hadn't had many meetings with the New-Type. But she had wondered why she didn't see some features before. It was faint, but some of her facial expressions reminded her of her father.

Her father.

She hadn't thought about the man since she had become a God Eater. Almost a decade. The possibility that she had a living sibling was a mixed emotion for Katsume. It brought back those feelings of meeting them in person. It had been a small dream of hers since a relative told her about it. But it made her a bit angry. Her father had disappeared when she was six and she had never heard from him again. The fact that he could be living another life made Katsume on edge. She balled her hand into a fist.

Even though she felt like this, she was hoping that the New-Type was related.

Ami flinched away from Alistair's touch when the Resonance faded. Immediately, Professor Sakaki was in front of her. "So, what did you see?" Ami still moved back out of habit. As many times as she was used to it, she still couldn't get used to the professor's personal space. Or lack thereof.

"It was-"

Ami faltered a bit.

Her face heated up at remembering. She stared at Alistair. There was his usual expression on his face. If she hadn't experienced it through the Resonance, it would be laughable for her to believe that Alistair experienced anything other than sarcasm and snark.

"Was?"

Ami remembered that they were waiting on an answer. "I'm sorry. I'm still out of it a bit. It was sometime after we thought Lindow had died. Alistair had came to talk to me. He was cheering me up, in his own way. I guess it was something I needed." Sakaki looked to Alistair. "How about you? Did you experience anything?" Alistair shook his head. "Nothing. Well not in the sense of memories. Maybe a mix of emotions."

After a few minutes of discussion, the two New-Types were released from the office. It was a comfortable silence between them. "So you saw that memory?" Alistair asked her. Ami stopped moving. "Yeah." There was another moment of silence before she spoke again. "I'm sorry for hitting you that time. I should have been aware that you're not that spiteful." Alistair turned around to Ami bowing respectfully to him. "Stop that." he said, "I was expecting it. You and I never got along Rookie." Ami rose her head.

"But still-"

"No buts." he interrupted, "You're still a human under all this."

Ami gave a small smile.

"Thanks, Alis."

The male froze in his spot. "What did you call me?" Ami cheeks became slightly red. "Alis is a lot easier to say than Alistair all the time." "My foster father used to call me that, long ago. It's been so long since I heard that nickname." He smiled at her. Ami was a bit shocked. She had never seen him smile so genuine before. Most of his smiles had a mocking undertone. There was another moment of silence before Ami spoke again. "So, you thought that I liked Soma huh?" Alistair opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He coughed to regain his composure. "Well, he did defrost after you became unit leader. And the two of you did duo missions." Ami shook her head. "Well yeah I did, but not like that. He's a pretty cool person once you get to know him. As for the missions, it wasn't a choice. We were working under Director Schicksal."

Ami couldn't help the statement to come out harsh. He had good reasoning, but the previous director of the branch had did things that made her see him in a completely negative light. "Oh." Was all that he could say. Ami walked to his side. For a quick moment she put her hand in his and squeezed it before dropping it to her side. "Thanks, really. You have your own crazy way of showing that you're concerned. But I appreciate it."

Katsume heaved a sigh of relief as she finished compiling all the data from the Resonance into the database. "Paylor, may I ask a question?" The professor turned his attention to her. "Calling me by my first name? It must be a serious matter." Katsume flushed. "I apologize Sir, I get a little overbearing." He smiled at her. "No worries, ask any question. We'll be relying on each other for now on right?" She simply nodded. "Fenrir keeps DNA samples of all past and present God Eaters, correct?"

"That's correct. In case we recover a lost God Arc. It's to make it easier to find a compatible host."

Katsume nodded her head. "So my DNA should still be in the system, even though I am no longer a God Eater." Sakaki nodded to confirm the statement. "This is personal, so I can only ask you. Please perform a DNA test using my DNA and that of the New-Type Ami."

"Hmm it can be done, but I'll need a reason."

For a moment Katsume was silent. "I can't tell you where I got it from. But I have reason to believe she and I are related."

* * *

So yeah, forgive any clashing with the canon. I didn't really look into the plot well when it was written.


	2. Difficulty 2

**Wedding Day**

* * *

_"[...] Marriage between God Eaters is rare, and there is a series of forms that must be submitted before the marriage becomes valid."_

_-NORN Database 'Wedding'_

* * *

It had started with a request.

"Shouldn't you find a guy to do this?" Ami noted. She leaned over the railing that overlooked the Den. The area itself was quiet. Save for a few employees making their rounds. Sakuya stood beside her. "I wanted to, but it's tradition that the Unit Leader walks the bride." Ami lowered her head. "It's going to be weird. With us being girls and all. Plus you're older than me. But okay." Sakuya gave Ami a supportive squeeze on the shoulder. "Thanks, you're a lifesaver."

Ami couldn't help but smile. After so much Sakuya went through since Lindow's supposed death, to his taking the form of the black Hanniabal, and finally getting him back alive the two were finally getting married. It made the leader feel happy, as a comrade and a close friend. "I wanted to wear a dress for the ceremony though. But I need to be in a formal uniform to bring you down proper."

"I would see why. Alistair has melted quite a bit around you."

Ami spun her head around so fast it might as seemed she could injure herself. "What? No!" She promptly dismissed that reason. The elder God Eater suppressed a laugh. "It's okay if you admit it. Most of us would be thanking you. Alistair can be a bit difficult to deal with when not on missions." Ami shook her head. "There's nothing like that between us at all. Sakaki has me using the fact that I have the most experience with the Resonance and Alis' change to New-Type to do two studies at the same time."

"Hmm Alis?"

She turned red at the mention. " 'Alistair' get so hard to say again and again. Anyway, we're just civil around each other." Sakuya laughed again. "I know. I know. I'm glad to see you like this Ami. After you had woken up you sounded so sad." "I figured there's nothing I can do about it. As one of the few New-Types, it's expected." Sakuya looked at her out of concern. It didn't sit well with her the tone her leader was speaking.

"You know Ami we're here for you if you need us. Our bond isn't just close in the battlefield."

Ami straightened herself up. "I know. Don't worry though. I'll be fine. Just focus on the wedding."

* * *

Alistair sat at one of the cafeteria tables. He rubbed his temples. The earlier mission he had went on went on longer than he would have liked. Because of that, a couple of his teammates were sporting some injuries. "Is this seat taken?" He looked up to see that it was Katsume who was asking. "It's been a while Katsume. Yeah it's free." The female took a seat in front of him. "I heard that a couple of your unit members were in the sick bay?" Alistair simply nodded. "One of them fell to the Aether's charms and got poisoned. And then another one got poisoned trying to get that first one out. They'll make it out okay in a few hours." Katsume fiddled with her metal arm. "Something's wrong isn't it Katsume?" She looked up at him.

"It's nothing." she said firmly.

"You still don't forgive me? It's been five years since we went our ways." he responded back.

Katsume noticed the serious look on Alistair's face. "I never blamed you. I was just angry." He placed his hand on top of her flesh one. "So what is this all about? I'm sure you're not here to try and get us back together." Katsume looked away. "No. Don't be ridiculous. I don't like you like that anymore. What we had was nice. We're not just compatible like that." It was some silence between the two before Katsume spoke again. "Whatever feelings you feel for the New-Type, don't hurt her. I will personally see to it you'll pay if it does."

Alistair withdrew his hand at Katsume's statement. "What? You mean Rookie? There's nothing. We're civil around each other. Meeting up once, twice a month for Sakaki's testing will do that." Katsume still didn't lessen her look. "Right, like I believe that. She's young so she doesn't understand like I do. She doesn't see those changes in you that she's done. So I'm warning you. I know how you can switch to being an ass in a second." Alistair rubbed his temples again. "It isn-Hey. Why are you so concerned anyway? The two of you have never hung out while off duty." It was Katsume's turn to rub her temples. "It doesn't matter. Don't hurt her."

At that he smirked.

"It wouldn't have anything to do with how you two look similar?"

Katsume dropped her hands. "What? No that's no-"

"Katsume, we dated for a while." he explained, "I know your body language. And Rookie tends to act the same as you. Not to mention the looking similar part. So what's up?"

* * *

Ami let out another breath. She opened her eyes. She took a few moments to get her bearings again. Having finished going through another Resonance, Ami moved her hands away from Alistair. She sighed a bit to herself. Her mind felt more sluggish than usual.

"Is there something wrong Ami?" asked Sakaki.

Ami yelped a bit in surprise. It took another moment before she could answer. "I'm alright. Just a long day." Sakaki typed some data into his computer.

"Well, that should be it for this month. You two have done a good job. Hopefully we'll get some lasting discoveries about this Resonance."

Alistair stood up from his chair. "I'll be going then." Ami made a motion to stand up.

"Ah Ami, mind if we spoke a bit?" asked Sakaki.

Ami glanced at Alistair before nodded at the professor. Once Alistair left, she sat back down on the chair.

"How have you been feeling lately?" he asked.

Ami shrugged her shoulders. It was a good question. Some days she would feel normal. But others it felt like something was nagging at her mind. The feeling never lasted long.

"Okay, I suppose. I don't feel sick or anything." she replied.

"I see," he said, "we've been relying a lot on you. I hope we haven't worn you down because of it."

Ami flashed one of her smiles. "I'll be fine Professor. If I can be of help then I'll gladly do what I can."

She got out of her seat and walked out of the room. Only to see that Alistair was waiting on the wall opposite of the door.

"You waited up?"

Alistair didn't respond. He made his way towards her. Ami stepped back out of instinct. He let out a sigh.

"You okay Rookie?"

"You were eavesdropping?" she asked back.

Alistair looked away at the accusation. Ami glared a bit, then eased into a sigh. She folded her arms over her chest. She began walking towards the elevator. Alistair stayed close behind her. Ami noticed it too. When they both got on to the elevator Ami emitted another sigh.

"I don't really appreciate you listening in on conversations between Professor Sakaki and I."

"We're partners in this right," he replied, "so why shouldn'-"

"We could be speaking of classified matters." Ami replied sharply.

The elevator slowed to a stop at the Veteran's Section. She stepped out, ready to walk to her room.

"Oh I know. Information reserved for the First Unit right?"

Ami turned around. A serious expression appeared on her face.

"Yes, that could very well be it. Unless you forgot that I'm the Unit Leader."

She took a moment. Not hearing a reply to him she continued, "Look, I'm tired. Can you just please leave it be for once?"

Ami didn't wait for a reply as she headed to her living quarters.

* * *

The wedding had went off without any problems. Ami was grateful for that. The last thing anyone needed was something to go wrong at the wedding. Ami stood in the her room with her formal suit thrown on the bed.

Slowly she took off her black framed glasses. Her eyes were always fine. But her glasses offset the innocent, inexperienced look her face gave.

_'Maybe that's why Alistair keeps calling me Rookie.'_

Ami shook her head. She placed the glasses on the small table. She sighed as she looked at her hair in the mirror. _'Looks like I'm due for another touch up.' _she mentally groaned. Her hair began to show her original light blue strands at the roots. Her eyes then wandered over to her dress. She thought back to seeing Sakuya in her dress. She always harbored a secret admiration of Sakuya's feminine shape. She thought of her as a role model. Regardless of everything that happened, Sakuya stayed herself.

Ami hoped that she would grow into a person like her.

She took a quick look at the clock.

"Crap." she muttered. Ami picked up the dress that was on her couch and put it over her head.

* * *

The elevator dinged down to the cafeteria. The normal furniture was put away for more formal looking tables and chairs. They planned the wedding reception here. Seeing as the entire personnel of the Far East Branch was invited, it was the only place they could hold a large amount of people. Ami navigated her way through the crowd of people to the front of the room, where her team members were sitting at. A hand grabbed on to hers. She turned around to the person.

"You surely clean up nicely." he said.

Ami couldn't help but frown at Alistair's remark. She turned around to look at him proper.

"You always seem to never lose that wit." she said back.

"Well yeah."

"If you'll excuse me," she said, "I want to sit with my unit for a bit."

Alistair lessened the hold he had on her hand, but didn't let go. Ami noticed that he was looking at her far longer than she was used to. The prolonged look was getting her flustered.

"W-w-what?" she stammered

Alistair shook his head. "It's nothing. But come on and dance with me before you decided to be hermit for the rest of the night."

Ami pouted. "I wasn't going to hermit. But fine."

Alistair led her out into the dance floor.

"Don't step on my feet Rookie." he suggested.

Ami frowned but took her hand into his. There was silence between the two as they danced.

"They deserve one another." Ami commented.

They stopped for a moment and glanced at the stage that the newlyweds sat.

"You must be happy Rookie. Your unit had it rough, but it all worked out."

She smiled. "Yeah I am. They've become my family. I don't think we would be the way we are now if it wasn't for that." There was truth to her words. Losing her mom at a young age to an Aragami attack to only be picked up by nomads, she never had a real sense of family. It was only coming to Fenrir that she had that.

Alistair lowered his hand to around Ami's waist. She jumped a bit at the touch.

"I see. You've grown up Rookie. Different from when we first met." he remarked

"You? Praising me? The world must be ending." Ami laughed at Alistair's blush.

"Shut up Rookie."he muttered

She didn't stop laughing. It was rare to see this side of Alistair. Her hand brushed his hand that was on her waist. She suddenly became still. Ami's eyes widened. The world around her seemed to stop in time. She felt herself collapse under her weight.

"Rookie?"

Alistair managed to catch her before she fell to the ground. He noticed the faraway look in her eyes.

He knew what that meant.

"Rookie!"

* * *

_ "You're telling me that she went out there on her own against the Hannibal?"_

_"That's right Larten." _

_"And her unit is en route?"_

_"Yes. But-"_

_"Dammit Rookie! Hibari, I'm heading over."_

_"But Larten, the order was only for First Unit."_

_"That's correct Alistair."_

_ She was looking at him. He could already imagine the conversation that's coming up. _

_"Not now Amamiya. If you're going to bitch at me, do it when I bring her back." _

_"This decision shouldn't befall on anyone but the First Unit. He is their teammate."_

_"To hell with that Tsubaki. You know as well as I she's too compassionate to try and kill that Hannibal. DNA saying that it's Lindow? She looks up to him, she'd die before turning her blade on him."_

_ His God Arc was ready. He was going to bring her back, even if it killed him. _

_"Larten wait! Larten! Alistair!"_

_ He never felt so on edge. Not since his first mission with Far East. He saw that Aegis Island was nearing. He didn't believe in gods. No, gods wouldn't have made this world a hellhole in the first place. But he had hoped that he wouldn't see a dead comrade on arrival._

_"Don't run away from the living! That's an order!" _

_ He saw her run into the Hannibal. What was she thinking? Oh, that's right. The younger Amamiya was somehow bonded to it. He had never seen her so serious until then. To even wield his God Arc as well. The power of a New-Type was true. _

_Then he saw it._

_ She was being devoured by the Hannibal. No, she intentionally made her way inside it. Her actions seemed to have frozen it. _

_"Please be safe."_

_ Wait? They weren't going after her? These were her teammates. They were going to leave this to her?_

_"The hell!"_

_"Alist-I mean Larten? What are you doing here?"_

_"That doesn't make any difference. Why aren't you going after her? She's your leader!"_

_"And why does this matter to you Larten? This is none of your business." _

_"So help me now Loner, this isn't the time." _

_"She chose this herself Larten." _

_"Tachibana, you're letting a kid do this alone."_

_"You think I want Ami to do this alone!"_

_ He hadn't seen her so furious. She was always the calm one. Even when He was gone, she kept herself professional on missions._

_"I wish I was there to help Lindow. But I can't. I don't have the power she has. So I can only rely on her. She's seen that he was alive. She has enough power to change. So I will stay here and believe in her. Alistair believe in her." _

_"Tachibana, she's just a kid."_

_"She's seventeen actually. She's come a long way since I've first met her."_

* * *

Ami blinked out of her trance.

"...ookie!"

She was back into the present. Everyone had looked at the two.

"You okay Rookie?"

She moved away from him.

"Why!" she screamed.

Everyone became silent at her outburst.

"Why..."

Ami sank to the ground. Her body was shaking. Alistair had a hand out. Her breathing was rapid at the thought of touching his hand again. She smacked it away.

"No! Don't touch me!" She felt their looks on her. Voices began booming in her head, their voices.

"No. No! Stay away from me!"

She bolted out of the room. Alistair began to start after her until someone stopped him.

"Sakaki, what is it?" He looked down.

"It might be best to give her some space. I was afraid this might happen."

Alistair forcefully slammed Sakaki to a wall. "What the hell you mean?"

"I was hoping to tell her before it got to this stage." he said calmly.

"Still not telling me what Professor. And I'm not in the mood for your guessing games."

The director looked at Alistair. "It's still a lot of testing to do on the Resonance and its effects. But we've noticed that the intensity of the memory being portrayed has a side effect on the psyche. Like an imprint. If it's something minor, the imprint will disappear almost instantly. But the more intense ones stay longer. Repeated imprints can cause the psyche of the initiator to collapse."

Alistair sighed. Katsume appeared alongside him. "So you're telling us that she's having a mental breakdown because the leftover feelings are taking over her individuality?"

"Exactly."

Alistair let Sakaki go. "Geez, you could have said that. God damn science babble." He began to take his suit jacket off, revealing a white dress shirt with a black vest and red tie.

"Hibari, help me track Rookie." he ordered.

The girl was startled before nodded. "Y-Yes."

He nodded back. He glanced at the crowd. "Don't try to stop me. I'm bringing her back, even if she's kicking and screaming."

Katsume nodded. "I'm going too if that's the case."

"But," noted Tsubaki, "Katsume you lost your arm. How will you be able to wield a God Arc?"

Katsume scanned the area, looking for a female. "Licca! My God Arc is still good right?" The engineer nodded an affirmative.

"That's all I need." She lifted up her metallic arm.

"It's more than enough. I may not be on active duty anymore but I still know how to wield one." She started to follow after Alistair.

"Besides, I'm not going to let my sister down again."

* * *

She wandered into the temple. Her light blue dress was already tinted a brown color. She dragged her God Arc through the snow towards the half destroyed building. Separating her and the building was three Fallen Cocoon Maidens. She prepared herself, pointing the Trovatore II blade at them.

_ 'Who steps are these? Are these my own?'_

She dodges to the left. To the right. One of the maiden's lasers hit her side. She jumps back deploying her Hamlet + shield from the other beams. She feels it in her armlet. The time is right. She switches to Tosca. Shooting a few bullets, stunning them. For a moment, a ghost of a smile appears on her face. The blade re-emerges. Now was the time.

Her God Arc was hungry.

The maidens fall to the side defeated. Their fluids adding to the collection on the dress. A part of her was nagging to not forget the materials. But that wasn't her agenda today. She dragged the arc again towards the shelter. Her back hit up against the wall. She slid down onto the ground. She stabbed her weapon into the ground, using it for a rest. She felt tired. The voices lowered somewhat. But not enough. Her lids lowered. Images flashed through her head.

Two girls alongside her, playing in the temple.

The temple was much more put together then...

_'I'm so sleepy.'_

* * *

Alistair and Katsume arrived at the snowy plains. "This was the last whereabouts that she was at from Hibari." Katsume noted.

"This area is small compared to the other areas. But we most likely will cover better ground if we split up." Alistair noted, "At this hour, only a few maidens are around. Shouldn't be too hard to dispatch. But stay on your toes Venus."

Katsume froze mid-step.

"It's been a while since I heard my codename."

Alistair shrugged. "Well you haven't been on any missions since the accident. Anyway, we should get started. She's not properly suited for this weather." She nodded and went left.

Alistair hefted his God Arc over his shoulder as he explored the right side of the area. It was quiet. Alistair didn't like the quiet so much.

"Rookie!" he called.

No response. He felt an odd texture under his shoes. He looked to see it was the remains of a defeated Aragami. As he looked forward, the trail seemed to lead towards the larger temple. He followed it until he reached the entryway. With the mixture of dark red, almost black fluids of the Aragami there was another fluid. Lighter in red. More so in the snow.

_'Human blood.'_

His red eyes widened at the connection his mind was making. He ran up the ramp. "Rookie!" he shouted. There was no answer. "Rookie! Answer me!" There was still no answer. "Ami!" He heard the sound of a God Arc shuffling. Then he turned around.

He saw Ami hunched over on the ground. He discarded his God Arc on the ground as he ran towards her. Ami opened her eyes slightly, noticing the pair of legs coming towards her. She stood up, aiming her weapon at him.

"Stay away."

Alistair stopped mid-step. "Rookie, put that away." He noticed her actual state. She was wobbly while her dress was soaked in blood from the waist down. She looked so tired.

"No more." she whispered, "I can't take the voices anymore."

He stepped forward. "What the hell Rookie? You're stronger than this."

"I'm not!"

Ami leaned back into the wall again. "I'm not. What makes me so different from the other New-Types? Why do I have to suffer with all these voices! I just want...I just want to be-"

He grabbed her by the hand the brought her to his chest. The only sound heard was the clattering of her God Arc falling to the ground. She struggled to get out of his hold.

"No more! I don't want to see anymore!"

"Shut up Rookie. Do you feel it starting?"

Ami was silent. She didn't feel anything leading to a Resonance starting. He sighed. "Rookie. Look, Ami I'll be there for you. I'll stay by your side."

"What about you and Katsume? I've seen you two at the cafeteria."

Alistair was quiet for a moment. Then he chuckled a bit. "I do admit, we used to have something going on. But it's not like that anymore. It's odd, I got with the elder but fell for the younger."

Ami looked up at him.

"What do you-"

"You talk too much."

* * *

Katsume walked up to the temple. She hadn't seen Ami in the route she had taken. And she couldn't get a response from Alistair. She felt a bit on edge. She haven't had the chance to make amends with her sister. She didn't even tell her sister that they were related.

"You talk too much."

Katsume stopped walking hearing Alistair's voice. She noticed that the two were in an embrace. It took Katsume by mild surprise to see a concerned look on his face. She had seen it a couple times before. But it was so long ago she'd nearly forgotten that he was capable of it. She saw him lean his head in closer to the younger God Eater. She didn't need a sure indicator to know that he had kissed her sister.

Katsume felt her heart flutter. There was always a part of her that held those feelings that she had when Alistair and she was together. She looked on as Ami slowly put her arms around his neck. Katsume smiled. Despite that little flutter, the feeling of being happy for her sister overtook her. _'I think I can get used to this happiness.'_ It was a brief kiss, but she could see Alistair's eyes have lightened. It wasn't long before Ami rushed her head into his chest and sobbed. He rubbed her back while looking up.

He looked a bit startled seeing Katsume. She had to hide the small smirk on her face from his blush creeping in. Katsume just nodded. She trusted him. She turned around to turn on her communication link. "Hibari, Venus here. We found her."

_"That's great. I'll notify the others right away."_

"Right, we're at the Tranquil Temple area. Send a medical and retrieval team." she added

Katsume noticed that Hibari was silent. _"Is she-?" _

"No, she isn't dead." Katsume interrupted, "She's exhausted and we can't pick up her God Arc."

_"Understood, I'll send them over."_

* * *

Ami woke up. Her body felt weak, her mind exhausted. Immediately she recognized that she was in her room.

"Easy now." said a female.

Ami looked over to see Katsume. "They said that you're exhausted, so we shouldn't rush you into anything." She looked around not seeing a particular male.

"If you're looking for Alistair." Katsume started, "He went to inform the others that you're fine."

Ami looked down at her hands. "I must have made everyone worry. I have to go apologize. Especially to Lindow and Sakuya. I ruined their wedding."

Katsume put her hands on her shoulders. "No, they understand. If anything we should apologize to you. We pushed you too hard. Forced you to do these experiments. We just wanted to know more for future God Eaters."

Ami lowered her head. "I'm sorry, I should have said something sooner. And... about you and Alis..."

Katsume widened her grey eyes. "Don't feel bad. What he said was true. There was something, but not anymore."

"Wait. 'What he said?' So you saw? You saw when Alistair and I-"

Ami's face became flushed knowing that she had watched. "There's nothing to be ashamed of." Katsume consoled. The two sat while Katsume fiddled with her metal arm.

"Ami. I want to tell you something. I wanted to tell you earlier, but I was scared."

She took a moment to take a breath.

"I was scared. I let you down so many times already. I felt like I didn't have the right to tell you once I found out. Years I could have spent protecting you. Even if it was only a matter of time before Fenrir forced you to become a God Eater."

Katsume became surprised as Ami placed her hand on top of her mechanical arm. "It's okay Katsume. Just tell me. I'm pretty sure it can't get any worse."

* * *

So much editing had to be done with this D:. Anyway the prompt was:

_- The Resonance had more severe effects than anyone had realized. The MC starts to break down._


	3. Difficulty 3

Thanks for all the views so far.

* * *

**Confront & Comfort**

_ She wanted to tell him the good news. Though the data she had collected, it was confirmed that Lindow, her mentor, was still alive. This had to have been the happiest she had seen the branch since his disappearance. _

_ It was all thanks to Him._

_ Ren._

_ She saw him waiting by the vending machine when she departed the elevator to the medical floor. _

_"Lindow was-is well loved by all."_

_"He has that effect on people."_

_"And it seems that it has rubbed off on you as well. You started off so meek. So insecure. But look at you now. A fine leader. It's because of that, I need to tell you this."_

_ She wondered what it could be. Tsubaki had mentioned it, there was a chance that he might have been infected without his armlet to protect him. There was a possibility that he might become an Aragami. She shook her head. _

_ It couldn't be. It just couldn't be. It can't go down to this._

_"It isn't foolproof and you have to be a match."_

_"No..."_

_"You must take his God Arc."_

_"No."_

_"And you must kill him with that God A-"_

_"Shut up! I said no!"_

_ She slammed Ren against the vending machine. She hadn't felt that angry since she had to say goodbye to Shio. He never stopped staring at her. His orange-yellow eyes. _

_"Everyone must make foolish and selfish decisions. It's only human nature."_

_"I-"_

_"If you met him as an Aragami, what will you do Ami?"_

_ She didn't have an answer for him._

_ What could she answer with? Of course it was her duty to destroy any and all Aragami. But to take up her weapon against the reason of who she is? She dropped her arms. Avoided his gaze. _

_"I've clearly disturbed you with such talk. I'm going back to the clinic for now."_

_"Ren, I-"_

_"Let me ask you this Ami. How far are you willing to go to ease the suffering of someone you care for?"_

* * *

_"Ami? Ami!"_

_"Should we get a medical team? She's been like this for a while."_

_ She could see them, hear them. But not completely there. She always felt a little off after a Resonance. But this one. It was just as Ren said. The black Hannibal was Lindow. The question plagued her head. _

_Could she kill the Hannibal? _

_Could she do it knowing the fact that it was Lindow?_

_ She wondered if this was what Sakuya felt when they had to leave him behind. She even wondered if these feelings when through Soma's head when he had to let Shio go._

_ She blinked. Once. Twice._

_"A medic team isn't necessary."_

_"You alright Ami? Your shield isn't damaged is it?"_

_"I'm fine. It just took a moment."_

* * *

Ami spoke little, if at all, as she made her way to the Executive floor of the branch. She knew Tsubaki and Sakaki would be waiting for her report. They always did when it came to that Hannibal. She stopped at the end of the hallway. The door in front lead to the Director's office.

"I can't hide this from them." she told herself.

She knocked on the door.

"Come in." said a muffled voice.

Ami went inside to the office. Tsubaki and Sakaki was waiting for her, Sakaki sitting at the desk with Tsubaki leaning on it.

"Were you able to stop the Hannibal?" asked Tsubaki.

The New-Type shook her head. "No ma'am. But I had a Resonance while on the battlefield." At that, Sakaki stood up. He faced Ami. Instinctively, she moved back. He still didn't know a sense of personal space.

"What happened during this Resonance? How did it trigger?"

Tsubaki heaved a small sigh. "Paylor, you're scaring her." Ami shook her head. "It's fine. I'm just not sure how to say this."

She took a seat at one of the couches in the office. The adrenaline was wearing off. Her body felt like it could collapse. "I went out to the call of the black Hannibal. And I deflected his attack. That's when it happened."

She told them about how she saw Lindow's supposed last moments. She recounted all the moments she experienced his progression into the black Hannibal. She waited for an answer from the two adults. For a long while there was silence.

"Ami, you know your duty as Unit leader. You know what we must ask of you." Tsubaki said.

She shook her head. "I know. If a teammate shows signs of infection, the leader must go and terminate that person." She read up on what a Unit Leader's role does when she got promoted to that position so long ago. She shakes at the vision of doing it.

"I can't. I just can't."

"I know this is difficult position. I wish we didn't even come to this. But Fenrir's most important duty is to rid the world of Aragami." Sakaki stated.

Ami felt the tears come down. "I know that!" They were startled at her sudden outburst. The New-Type was always noted as a reserved person.

"I just can't do it! I can't essentially kill Lindow! I-I...I..."

Tsubaki placed a hand on Ami's shoulder. "Professor, you should go to the lab and input data about the Resonance."

He nodded. "Yes of course."

* * *

Tsubaki waited until she was completely alone with Ami before she spoke.

"That brother of mines." she mused, "He always seemed to capture the hearts of many and not know it."

Ami understood what she was saying. She shook her head. "It isn't like that at all! He's my mentor. All I have is thanks for him. There's nothing more."

"I believe you. But you're still just a child. You don't understand it yet. But when you're older you'll look back and understand."

Ami nodded. The conversation was getting to be too personal for her.

"I don't want to kill him." she admitted, "But I know I have to defeat that Aragami. I'm the only one who can. I know it."

The question Ren had asked Ami plagued her mind.

_How far are you willing to go to ease the suffering of someone you care for?_

How far? Ami closed her eyes. Tsubaki looked at her. "Ami I know this is difficult. It is for all of us. But you must kill that Aragami. We will not lose anyone else. You understand? As much as it pains me. Sometimes we forget that you've only begun to experience the true meaning of being a God Eater."

Ami smiled a little. Even though Tsubaki had an air of professionalism about her, she was still an older sister. She remembered that Lindow had told her that he, Tsubaki and Sakuya grew up together one time.

Ami remember what Alisa had told her before a mission one time. It was a simple handshake, but she had experienced her first Resonance. Alisa had told her everything felt like it would work out. A small smiled appeared on her face. She stood up. An answer in her heart.

"Yes Ma'am. I understand. I won't let you down. I know what I have to do."

Tsubaki stroked Ami's cheek. Just like she did to calm Ami down on her first official day as a unit leader.

"That's it, Leader."

Ami turned around and left the office.

* * *

Ami made her way to her room. She changed out of her clothing to her white Sniper coat and white Sniper sport slacks. The outfit she had made in memory of her leader. She went down to the equipment area to make sure her God Arc was in top condition. Licca saw Ami staring at her Arc.

"Going out on a mission?"

Ami nodded.

"Be careful okay? I don't want you hurt again"

Ami nodded again. "I will. Thanks for taking care of my God Arc Licca."

* * *

Ami arrived at the Den of the branch. The only people there was Hibari and the shop keeper. "Hibari. I'm going out. Don't wait up."

Hibari typed some information on her screen. "I've received the request from the Director. Another solo?"

She nodded. "Yeah..."

"Where's Leader?" Kota asked. The First Unit hadn't seen their leader in a few hours. They knew she rarely was gone for long periods of time on purpose. Hibari turned towards the gathering unit.

"She had a mission from the Director. She says to don't wait u-"

Her eyes widened as her terminal beeped. Her fingers glided across the keyboard gathering the recent information. "It's the Black Hannibal. Its signal seems to be coming from Aegis Island." Hibari emitted a gasp. "This can't be right. The First Unit leader is facing it. Alone."

The team was silent at the news.

Soma was the first to speak, hitting his fist on the desk. "What is she thinking? Our idiot leader. Why the hell does she think she's allowed to carry everyone's burden."

Alisa was already prepping to go. "We have to go get her!"

"Stop. The rest of Unit One will stay on standby."

* * *

Ami couldn't understand completely why she went to Aegis Island. It was more of a feeling. Maybe a leftover connection from the Resonance. She felt that the black Hannibal would be there. _He_ would be there. She made her way to the platform. The same platform where she and her unit faced Director Schicksal to stop the Devouring Apocalypse. Her glasses bound eyes looked up at the moon. She had wondered if Shio was up there watching her.

_'Don't worry Shio, I'm keeping this world safe for you.'_

It wasn't long before she heard the roar of the Hannibal. She had her God Arc ready in its blade position. Ami smiled to herself. She looked up at the Aragami. Her light blue eyes hardened into a glare.

"Don't disappoint me now, Lindow. I'm going to help you."

* * *

_-MC being comforted by Sakaki or Tsubaki after finding out Lindow became a Black Hannibal, thus giving them the resolve to face it._

Kinda didn't hit it exactly. Probably could have done a bit more on Tsubaki's end. But I liked the not too much coddling. I have a bad(?) habit of not calling Sakaki by his first name in narration ._.


	4. Difficulty 4

Ohai again. This one took so much to edit.

A bit of a warning. There are two explicit swears in this one. From everyone I've asked they said it really wouldn't warrant a bump up on the fic rating but if you think it does let me know. I'm not too familiar with what really makes a T cross over to a M and the rating guidelines are as helpful as ever *rolls eyes*

Anyway on with the fic!

* * *

**Two Hearts, One Mind**

The new type was tired. She couldn't help but lower her God Arc slightly. Even with her cell injections, the weapon started to feel heavy on her. She looked beside her to see her former leader, her comrade in almost the same condition. "Whatever that is, it doesn't want to let us go." said Lindow. She nodded. "You're right." She stared at the black mass forming. It took the shape of the Hannibal. She tightened the grip on her blade.

_How far are you willing to go to ease the suffering of someone you care for?_

She recalled the conversation with Ren, who turned out to be Lindow's God Arc personified. She was just so angry at him for the decision that was in her hands. But she had to make that decision sooner than she thought.

_"Don't run away from the living! That's an order!"_

She had shouted those words to him. And to herself. Lindow had taught her that mindset. The Hannibal launched an attack from both of their sides. Her shield and his blade blocked the attack. But they never expected an attack right in front of them.

It seemed that the attack was mainly aiming for Lindow. It would make sense, the Hannibal was in his body. "Lindow!" she screamed.

"Ami?"

She had to do something.

"Ami!"

She knelt down to the ground. "Ugh!" She felt the spikes run through her body. Her glasses fell to the ground, lens shattering. Her white outfit was staining with red. With her blood. She turned to look at him. She managed a smile.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Ami coughed up some of her blood. A light came from his God Arc then. It was Ren. Time seemed to stop when he appeared. The Hannibal stilled into its attacking stance.

"I see." he said sadly, "This is how far you are willing to go."

Ami gave a weak nod. "I gave him an order, I won't let him fail me." Lindow looked on as the two conversed. He wanted to do something, anything. The New-Type rookie he had lead so long ago. It was hard to even remember that she was the same person from back then. It was more than the change in hair and donning glasses. She grew up. She had matured into a respectable leader.

He couldn't let her give up now.

"That's it?" he asked. "It doesn't make sense for me to live and you not. We're going home. As in we; the both of us." Ami was trying to hold back her tears. She couldn't break down in front of him now.

She had to be strong.

"It's alright. Sakuya and the others are waiting for you. You have to live. I promised I would bring you back."

Her body felt so heavy. "And you dying makes it any better!?" She winced at his words. In the times she had been in a mission with him Ami had only heard him yell once. When he was telling the rest of the First Unit to go on without him. She lowered her eyes. "I can already feel myself getting weaker. The least I can do is hold the Hannibal back." He looked up at Ren. "Is there no other way?"

The personified god arc was silent for a moment. "Ami's made her choice. In her current state, her body will die."

Ren closed his eyes. Over the couple months that he had gotten to know the New-Type, he had grown to like her. She was the only one who could see him. He couldn't recall exactly how he received a human form. But being in it made him understand why these God Eaters sacrificed so much to combat the Aragami. He always had a feeling, being a part of the force to fight them. But to have a weapon of his own and fight alongside Ami gave him a much deeper experience. It pained him to see Ami in this position. She was the only one who talked to him. After every mission, even during her free days, she visited the medical wing of the branch just to speak with him. He got to know about her.

He got to know that this "model God Eater" was just as normal as everyone else.

He couldn't let her give up.

"There is one way." Ren then looked down at Ami. He noticed her labored breaths. If it wasn't for her mental strength, she would have been gone a long while ago. During their interactions, he had sensed that within her. It was because of that Ren felt that she was the one for his task.

Lindow looked at him. "Whatever it is, do it. She's going to live." Ren looked at Lindow. "It's not that simple. We can't defeat the Hannibal at our current state. Combine your powers together. With me as the common link, we can do it." Ren paused for a moment. He averted his eyes from them.

"But there's always a price. Your mental strength surpasses hers. If you decide to go through with it, her consciousness will merge with yours."

"Do it."

Lindow stared at Ami in shock. He shook his head. "Ami what are yo-"

Ami silenced him. "You heard Ren. We're running out of time. If we can stop that Hannibal once and for all then I don't care about the results. I can't let the others go through this. I won't." She coughed again, letting out a hiss in pain.

His stare softened. Despite the seriousness of the situation, he was proud of her.

"You're set to doing this until the end aren't you?" he asked with a small smirk.

Ami let a small smile appear on her face.

"I learned from the best." she simply said.

Lindow brought her close to him chuckling at her statement. Ren knelt down beside Ami. "You really are a model God Eater you know." A light aura surrounded him and Ami. He touched her hand. Her eyes widened. She felt a surge of emotions course through her body. Then there was feeling of floating. Her vision became swallowed by an orange light. It felt similar to the start of a Resonance. But Ami wasn't afraid of it. She welcomed it.

_"Thank you..."_

* * *

"Get her to a private room! Stat!"

A team of doctors and nurses ran though the halls of the Far East branch with a cot. People moved to the walls, letting them through with no obstacles. Whispers were beginning of who was in that bed. Standing at one of the walls was Alistair. It wasn't unusual to see a scene like that taking place. With how hostile Aragami had become lately, it had become even more common. When they sped pass him, he let out a small gasp. He knew that person. His feet began to pick up. Alistair began to follow after them. He felt hands grab him from his arms.

"Alistair, you can't go." said one of the nurses

"They need to work." said another.

"What happened to her!?" he shouted.

* * *

"So, it's quiet again today." said a woman.

She looked at the figure on the bed. Her even breathing, only accompanied by the beeps of the various medical equipment. The woman patted the top of the figure's head. "We're still trying to figure out how to wake you up. Your team visits every day too. I think today is Kota's turn." She sighed. Her grey eyes stared at Ami's face.

"You'd probably be wondering why I would be here. We've never talked before. We're sisters actually. I only found out that they did a blood test and found me as a relative." Katsume let out a small sigh.

Katsume then laughed bitterly to herself. "I wonder. If I had found you sooner would you still be here?" She was silent, almost expecting for Ami to answer.

"Probably not." she finished, "Fenrir always find a way to find God Eaters. Especially since it's the law to get tested if you're a match." Katsume tightened her mechanical right hand into a fist. Then she stood up. She began to walk out of the room. But she stopped at the door.

"Your team hasn't been quite the same without you Ami. So please, for them, wake up."

* * *

Lindow stood outside overlooking the Den, cigarette in hand. He exhaled loudly, a trail of smoke proof of his actions. He heard a heavy set of footsteps making their way to him. He turned to the source.

"Larten, or have I earned to call you Alistair?"

Alistair walked towards Lindow, standing beside him. "Alistair. But I won't complain if you kept calling me my code name." Alistair ran his hand through his black hair. It was silent between the two for a while. Alistair took out a pack of cigarettes himself. Lindow looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"That's a bad habit." he remarked.

Alistair shurgged. "Look who's talking."

The two shared a smirk. Lindow and Alistair overlooked their surroundings. It was a fairly quiet day for the branch. But they both knew it wouldn't be long before the usual cycle of Aragami attacks would begin.

"Rumor has it that you've been visiting Ami. I thought you two hated each other." Lindow said.

Alistair shrugged. "I didn't hate Rookie. She was just so naive. She needed to toughen up."

Again, more silence greeted them.

"What I don't get Amamiya," Alistair began, "is how you're standing here and she isn't. New-Types are supposed to be better than Old-Types right? So why is she in a coma?"

Lindow was silent. Alistair sighed to himself. "Every time someone asks you, you go oddly silent. First Unit is silent about it too. Not even that Kota and he's so goddamn talkative it's irritating at times." he remarked. Lindow remained silent. Alistair twitched his brow. The silence was irritating him.

"Why do you care?" was Lindow's reply.

Alistair became still. That voice didn't sound quite like the usual tone that Lindow has. It sounded a bit feminine. He looked at him again. Lindow stared at Alistair.

"Have you ever thought for a moment that it's classified information?"

"The hell with that Amamiya. Katsume puts on a strong front. But she's devastated that her sister, that just found out she has, is in a coma and no one is telling her why. Don't you think that's important?"

"Again, why do you care? You and Katsume haven't been together for years," Lindow remarked, "Unless the two of you got back togethe-"

Alistair roughly grabbed him by the collar of his jacket. His red eyes hardened into a glare.

"Shut the fuck up! You don't know anything!"

A bit of Lindow's black hair moved away from his left eye, revealing a light blue iris. Alistair stepped back, letting him drop.

"W-w-what the hell is that?" he asked.

Lindow cleared his throat.

"That's why. He simply said.

He used his free hand to cover the lightly colored eye. "She's telling me to tell you." he said.

"Who?" asked Alistair.

"Ami. She figures you have a right to know. Since you're so insistent on knowing. But you can't tell this to anyone. There's already enough questions about her coma as it is."

It was that which led Alistair to meet him in Ami's room within the Veteran floor. Lindow looked wistfully at the room. The same room that was his at one point, then passed on to Ami. He recognized items that were from his room that she kept. The entire branch felt it wasn't right to clear out the room. It was like accepting that she was gone. He took a seat on the couch. He sighed again.

"It started with the battle with the black Hannibal," he started, "I guess Ami figured out a way to reach where it had infected me. When I came around, she was there with her God Arc and mines. It's hard to believe that it was the same newbie from back then. Anyway, we fought the Hannibal as hard as we could. But she...I didn't see the attack in time."

Lindow's voice wavered. The conversation they had, the choice they made. It was hard for the well experienced God Eater to remember that time. "She took the hit for me. Her blood was everywhere. She was going to die if we tried to come back together and that the Hannibal. So we were given a choice. To stop the Hannibal she chose to give up coming back."

He chucked a bit to himself.

"Ami is a stubborn leader. But I guess she always had everyone's best interest at heart. She didn't care what happened to her, as long as I came back that's all that mattered."

Alistair was silent though the explanation. His fist tightened to white knuckles. "And _you let her_?" he asked. He stood up.

"What kind of bullshit is that?!" he shouted.

His hands were trembling. Alistair felt that it was true. It sounded impossible but he could see something happening like that with Ami. His glare intensified.

"What kind of role model are you if you let your junior die! And to think she even had feelings for you! Wha-"

"Don't you think I know that?" Lindow shouted.

Alistair was silent again. He rarely heard Lindow shout. When he did, he knew it was serious.

"Ami's still here."

Lindow tapped on his temple. "She's just in my head. She is me and I am her." He lowered his head. "I'm just the dominate side. And I know. I tried to stop her but she wouldn't change her mind."

Alistair plopped back down on the couch. "New-Types really are something." he stated. He looked at his armlet. He had just began his New-Type transition. He wondered if he was possible of having the same fate.

"But," Lindow started, "Sakaki thinks that because her body is still alive, there might be a way to bring her back."

At that news, Alistair snapped his attention back at him. A part of him lit up at the possible outcome. "Sakaki said that? Did he mention any time tables?" Lindow shook his head.

"It's too soon to give a definite answer. There are a lot more questions to be answered. If she does come back, who's to say that the Hannibal won't attempt to consume me again. It's only been a month since this has happened."

Alistair sighed to himself. "Damn Rookie. Always looking out for you. Oblivious to how her actions affects others." Then he stood up. "I'm going to visit her. I might beat the hell out of you if I stay."

Lindow nodded, obviously understanding. He watched as Alistair left the room, the door sliding closed behind him. He leaned back into the chair. He chuckled to himself.

"He's really can't fool everyone. This is hurting him more than he lets on."

* * *

Alistair quickly walked to Ami's private room. He gave a small sigh of relief. He saw that there were no other visitors in the room. He quickly took a seat at her bedside. Alistair noticed a stray stand of hair plastered to her forehead. He moved it from there and tucked it behind her ear. He noticed that her hair was much more neater than the last time he had visited. Someone must had cut it. There was no trace of her navy blue locks on her head. Only her original light blue color. It had been so long since he had seen that shade. Ever since her promotion to unit leader if he recalled correctly.

"You're a moron Rookie."

His hand moved from her hair to her cheek. He let it linger there for a moment. "Amamiya told me what happened. You're a goddamn moron for doing that." He lowered his head. "You're better than this. You always thought of another way. No more sacrifices remember?"

Alistair was met with no response. Her breathing was the only sound coming from her. "Come on," he said, "this is nothing for you. Get up." She remained silent. He put his shaking hands into hers. His heart tugged. Flashes of his memory raced through his mind. Seeing his father and his brother. His hands clenched tighter around Ami's.

"I promised myself I wouldn't let anyone else I care for get hurt again. So wake up Ami!"

Nothing happened. In a part of him, he was hoping that she would wake up. He laughed bitterly to himself. His hand still trembled though. For a long while, he stayed like that with her. Every moment felt like a bit of him was crumbling away. He blinked away the tears that was threatening to fall.

No, he couldn't cry.

He wouldn't cry.

For a moment, he felt warmth from his hands. The warmth felt familiar somehow. It felt comforting. Slowly he began to straighten up. Then he rose from his seat.

"Don't tell anyone about this Rookie." he said, a small smile on his face.

Alistair stared at Ami for a little longer. He couldn't afford to lose himself now. They needed him. He stopped at the door. His hands tightened into fists.

"I won't break that promise again. When you wake up Ami, it'll be a place to be happy in." he declared.

A woman in white watched as Alistair left the room. She began to fade as she watched him board the elevator.

She smiled.

* * *

-_The MC doesn't defeat the Black Hannibal in time while inside Lindow's mind and is stuck in Lindow's body with Lindow._

Probably didn't hit it all the way. Besides I love Lindow too much to leave him in a horrible state. Not intentionally anyway.

Read and Review!


	5. Difficulty 5

Oh hey, so I'm totally not dead! Camp NaNo was fun-ish. Met my goal, barely. I look forward to July's.

Anyway, here's another oneshot! Note: this has a mention of abuse and I don't want to get yelled at for not warning in advance. I hated writing that part too. But it was necessary.

* * *

**Jerkass Facade**

"What the hell Larten!" asked a very aggrivated Tsubaki.

Larten, rather Alistair looked at her with a non-chalant look on his face. Tsubaki pinched the bridge of her nose. She should have been used to this. She was, in a sense.

"What's wrong?" he asked, "It's dead, isn't it?"

"That's not the issue." she said, "You went after a _Venus_ by yourself. If we hadn't gotten word of your status you wouldn't be standing here."

Alistair shrugged her off. He would have been fine. Tsubaki leaned back seeing that he wasn't going to give her an answer.

"Fine then, I'll have to pull you out of active duty."

"You can't do that." Alistair growled.

"I can," she interrupted, "and I have. You've been showing unhealthy aggressive behavior when it comes to the Aragami. We've been getting new recruits. We have to show an example to them. We don't need any more deaths."

"Whatever." he muttered.

Tsubaki heaved another sigh. She unclipped a piece of paper from her clipboard and gave it to him. As Alistair read the contents of the paper, he face paled.

"No..." he said.

All Tsubaki did was nod. Alistair shook his head violently.

"No, I'm not doing this. You cannot make me do this."

"They are highly quailfied. Besides, Director Schicksal has already cleared the conditions. You finish the sessions and you'll be put on active duty again."

Alistair muttered swears as he got up. He looked at the paper again. It was a lot of techincal words on the paper, but he knew what they were suggesting.

He was going to see a therapist.

"Fine whatever! The faster I get this crap done the better."

* * *

It was that which lead him down the halls of the medical floor a couple days later. He glanced around the room doors until he found the one from his paper. He gave two swift knocks.

"Come in, " came the muffled reply.

As he stepped in, Alistair noticed that the room was homey, in a professional sort of way. Sitting at the office desk was a small woman. Her light brown hair was styled in a side ponytail. Thick black framed glasses adorned her green eyes. She glanced up and saw Alistair.

"You must be the one Miss Tsubaki had suggested to me. Please have a seat on the couch." she said softly.

Alistair took another look at her before doing what he was told. The woman wrote a couple notes down on her notepad. A few moments later she stood up. She wasn't particularly tall. She smoothed out her tan Fenrir uniform. She then took a seat at the chair that faced Alistair.

"I should introduce myself. I am Doctor Misaki Shiratori." she began, "I've been a part of Fenrir for almost ten years now. But I've just recently finished my doctorate to become a therapist."

Alistair noticed that on her right wrist was a red armlet but with black and gold markings around it.

"You're a God Eater?" he asked.

"Was." she corrected, "I retired and became a therapist to help other God Eaters."

Misaki shook her head. "Enough about me. I'm here to help you Alistair. I've read your records and seen your battle statistics. You're a good God Eater. You could be leading your own unit one day. But it can't happen with your current path of taking high level Aragami on your own."

"If you're going to scold me, save it Tsubaki already did that." he replied.

Misaki chuckled a little. He was exactly as the file said. Very blunt, but not revealing with matters to himself. Can seem unapproachable. "I'm not going to scold you Alistair. I'm just making a point. We more people like you out there. But we need to figure out what makes you act the way you do. I firmly believe that you don't do it completely on purpose."

Alistair was silent. Then he shrugged. "Yeah whatever. Are we done?"

Misaki looked at the clock. "I think that's enough for today. I wasn't expecting anything ground breaking at our first session anyway."

* * *

"So she's got you seeing a doctor?" asked Katsume.

Alistair and she were sitting at a lunch table. Katsume slowly stirred in sweetener to her coffee. A small part of her mind admitted that it was amusing to see someone such as Alistair being forced to go through therapy.

Alistair never screamed as the "help me" type.

"Yeah, a therapist." he said, "I'm only doing this because I need to get back out there."

Katsume's eyes perked up at mentioning it. "Dr. Shiratori won't happen to be your therapist is she?"

Alistair looked at her. "Yeah." he replied. A look of realization crossed his face. "You're telling me that she-"

Katsume nodded. She used her metal right arm to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. "There's a reason why they got Misaki. She's good at her job. So just listen to her at the very least. You'd be surprised at what she can do."

Alistair's watch began to beep. He glanced at it. He soon stood up. "Speak of the devil. It's time for the session anyway." Katsume gave a small nod as she watched him leave to the elevator.

* * *

Alistair leaned back on the couch. They were already three sessions in and he certainly didn't feel any different than usual. He and Misaki usually just talk about work, never really delving into any subject.

"I suppose we should really start on your treatment." Misaki said, "I've noticed that Venus Aragami gets you riled up the most. I've met a lot of people who hold grudges against the aragami. Mostly because they killed someone precious to them. Is that why?"

"Red." Alistair replied.

Misaki looked at him quizzically. "Red?" she repeated. It didn't seem like a valid reason to completely go all out on an aragami.

"It had red hair. Like my mother." he explained.

"So you feel guilt towards your mother?" she asked while jotting down notes.

Alistair chuckled. "I wish. Even if I did, it wouldn't have mattered anyway. She loathed my existence."

* * *

_ "Mom!" called out a small boy. He was no older than maybe seven or eight. His black hair was messy from the playing that he did within the outer ghetto. He ran inside their small home. The house was neat. As neat as it could be considering their circumstances. He glanced at the living room, it looked untouched. Slowly he searched the dining room and kitchen. His small feet making light tapping sounds. He couldn't find the parent anywhere. He knew she couldn't be in his room. _

_She never went in there._

_ So what was left was The Room. His heartbeat sped up as he got closer to the room. He was scared. When she was in there, she scared him. He turned the knob and noticed that the room was dark, save for the window. _

_"Mom?" he called out again._

_ The boy could hear shuffling from within the room. He went inside. His feet stepped on various debris. Clothes, trinkets, bedding, all of it was strewn around the floor. He noticed a hunched figure over at the corner. A woman. She was thin. Her long red hair was frazzled. He stepped closer to her._

_"Mo-"_

_ His voice halted when she turned towards him. Her green eyes hardened into a glare. She stood up. He seized up as she got closer to him. Her lips were moving, but no sound came out. She stood mere inches from him. Then she knelt to his level. Her pale hand caressed his cheek. She let out a soft breath._

_"Alis..." she murmured._

_ Her hands grasp around his neck and she tightened. He let out a strangled cry as the the oxygen was quickly leaving his lungs. He thrashed about, his hands were clawing at her wrists. Despite her frail state, her grip remained unbreakable. _

_"M-m-mom!" he choked out._

_"Heathen!" she shouted, "It's the only way!" _

_ He could feel himself fading away. His body felt lighter. Maybe it was for the best. For a moment he could make out a tear from her face._

_"Tiana! What are you doing?!" shouted another voice._

_ He heard a couple shots fired. Then her hands letting him go. He dropped to the floor, coughing and sputtering. He felt another arm touch his back. His vision came back soon afterwards. When he turned, he noticed his mother, Tiana, screaming out in pain._

_He noticed the bullet wounds on her shoulder._

_"Larten! You don't understand!" she shouted, "Alistair is a curse! It's his fault that he died! I have to kill him! I have to kill the Heathen!" _

_ The man, Larten shook his head. "Tiana," he said quietly, "he wouldn't have wanted this. How can you even think about killing your own son?" _

_ Tiana glared at the two. "I have to." she repeated, "I need to. He shouldn't have been born. Those red eyes, they are devil's eyes!" _

_ Alistair froze at the mention of his eyes. His eyes were the only feature that wasn't inherent of either of his parents. Larten noticed Alistair's state. He aimed the gun at Tiana again._

_"I'm sorry Tiana. I have to protect this child. Your husband, my dear friend, he loved this child.I can't let you do this. I'm so very sorry Tiana." _

_"No! Do-!"_

_ Another bang. Alistair looked on as Tiana fell to the ground. She was unmoving. Alistair shook at the sight. Larten put the weapon away and knelt down to his level._

_"Are you alright Alis?" he asked_

_ Alistiar nodded. He couldn't find the strength to speak. Larten pulled him into a hug._

_"Come on Alis, lets go home. There's nothing more for you here."_

* * *

Misaki stayed silent as Alistair explained his past to her. She jotted down more notes to her clipboard. She noticed the small signs of anger as he went through it.

"So, " she finally said, "the death of your mother triggers these emotions. Do you regret that your mother died?"

Alistair laughed. He shook his head. "It wasn't that. It was her. She was normal enough, kind, caring, a little smothering. But that was only because she was fiercely loyal to my father. She was weary of me the day I was born, but my father he protected me from her outbursts. Her family believed that red eyes are a sign of death or something stupid. But apprarently my father knew that it was because of a genetic slip up. Mother disliked me, but she loved my father more. And then he died."

He clenched his fists. "I don't remeber him much so I can't say anything about him. From stories, he was fine one day and then his health rapidly decilned and he died. Once he was gone my mother completely flipped her mind. Oh it started with just the grieving. Maybe a little neglect because she was grieving so much. But then the blows came. She would hit me. She would call me a heathen, a devil's kin. She blamed me, my _curse_, for Father's death. Me, being the stupid ass kid I was back then didn't say anything. She was my mother, I loved her. It didn't matter if what she was doing was morally wrong, I made her happy. For once in my goddamned existence I made her happy. If Larten didn't show up then I would have let her kill me."

The room was silent for a while. Misaki placed her hands on her clipboard. Then she nodded. "And that's why you seem unapproachable to people. You don't want to get hurt like that again. And the anger towards the Venus Aragami. It reminds you of her. In a way, it's the true face of your mother. Pretty on the outside but pure evil on the inside. You go after it alone because the Venus reminds you of your weakness. You couldn't do anything to stop your mother. You were perfectly willing to die for her. You wished that you could have killed her yourself when she threatened your life."

Alistair stood up. It nerved him to hear Misaki reach those conclusions. His fists shook. But, Alistair didn't know why. He wasn't angry, not really. He chose to tell her about his childhood. Misaki closed her eyes and let out a breath.

"She's long gone Alistair. There's no need to hold on like that anymore. You aren't the kid back then. I'm not going to ask for you to forgive her. But if think you aren't that weak kid then forget her." She glanced at the clock again. "We made a pretty big step, so we'll take some time off before meeting again."

* * *

More weeks passed, Alistair kept what Misaki said in mind. He sat in his room. The lights were dimmed. His room had always gave the aura that it was uniquely him. It was filled with cooler tones from the paint scheme to the bedding. It was a good place to think. It was a place that he didn't have to put up with the duties of being a God Eater. There he thought. A question earlier that day had got him thinking. He sounded sure of himself when he answered. But now a couple hours had passed.

Alistair wasn't so sure about his answer anymore.

He shook his head. He had a session with Misaki coming up soon. Maybe he could work out his answer then. Alistair paused, then let out a chuckle. It was amusing how much a few therapy sessions had changed him. From being very skeptical about the sessions to consider Misaki a person he could talk comfortable around at the very least.

He may have began to see why Tsubaki wanted him to take these sessions in the first place.

* * *

Misaki and Alistair sat at their respective seats. Oddly enough, it had been one of their quietest sessions. Alistair laid on the couch. He looked up at the ceiling for a moment. "Have you met Rookie yet?" he asked.

Misaki tilted her head slightly. "Rookie? You mean the New-Type they just brought in?". When she saw Alistair nod his head she did the same. "Only brief moments." she said, "Since there's no professional reason to meet. I heard that she's having quiet the talent on the battlefield."

Alistair agreed. "Yeah that's what I heard too. She had asked me why I became a God Eater."

"Oh?" replied Misaki, "That doesn't seem too odd of a newbie to ask. What answer did you give?"

"I told her that I wanted to rid the world of Aragami to have it back. Which is true, but that wasn't my initial reason."

Misaki perked up at the revelation. She didn't have any note taking items with her. She was beyond that with Alistair at this point of their sessions. Ever since the relevation of his childhood, Misaki noticed a change in him. It wasn't a dramatic change. But the more they talked, it felt as if some weight was lifted from his person.

"I never finished telling you what happened after I was taken to Larten's custody." Alistair said, "He had always been suspect that something wasn't right with my mother after my father died. But since I didn't say anything there was no reason for him to act. I suppose one of his sons told him about seeing bruises and he reacted the way he did."

"I meant to ask this the last time." Misaki started, "But did you hold any grudge against Larten for what he did? Despite the circumstances, he did essentially murder your only living parent."

Alistair shook his head. "No. I never told anyone because it's odd. A kid having no ill will towards his mother's killer? I must not have been right in the head. Maybe there could have been a non-lethal solution. But I can't harp on ifs and buts. What's done is done and there's nothing I can do to change that."

Misaki nodded in agreement. "You're right. I cannot approve of his actions. But we're human and mistakes like that happen. Anyway, as you were saying?"

"Right," he continued, "after that Larten took me in to his home. He had two other boys he had adopted, Basil and Doane. The three of us were like brothers any way. So there was no adjustment time. For the next eight years they were the best I could remember. Considering the hell the world's in, it was a normal family. There was a lot of love there. Then-"

He paused.

"Then?" she asked.

Alistair turned his head to Misaki's. There was a moment of sadness on his face. "Aragami came. There was breach in one of the walls, in our district. Larten went to check what had happened and we saw them. He told us to go. And we did. Or at least tried to. Doane knew that if we kept together we would all die. So he distracted them while Basil and I made it towards the shelter."

His hands shook. He sat up and buried his head in his hands. Alistair let out a sharp breath. "We made it and the God Eaters at the time dispatched the Aragami, but it was too late by then. Larten and Doane were casualties of the breach. I had never cried so hard until then. Two people I had considered closest to me, gone. I hated the Aragami even more then. When Fenrir announced they needed more God Eaters I volunteered to do the testing myself. It sounds so cliched to join for some vengenance against them. But I had no choice. There was nothing more for me."

"What about Basil?" she asked.

At that Alistair smiled a little. "He's fine. It's hard to keep in contact, but he's okay. A researcher in one of the other branches if I remember correctly. He was weaker physically, but a genius. I rather have it that way anyway."

Misaki nodded. She then stood up and went to her console. She typed in a few things and looked at Alistair. She smiled.

"Thank you for that Alistair. I've sent the reccomendation that you be put back into active duty." she said.

Alistair promptly stood up. "Wait what? I though I had at least five more sessions to go?"

"We don't need them. You may not have noticed that you appear a lot more clear headed than when you first appeared. You don't just act just to act. You've thought things through. You've opened up. I think now you can reach your potential as a God Eater. My intention was never to make you change completely. A part of your, for lack of a better word, snarky attitude is just you. But I believe that you can be better now." she explained. Misaki sat down at her desk. She took off her glasses to clean them. "You're a kind person under all that Alistair. I'm sure you'll find that one thing that will bring that back out."

* * *

-'_MC has to take therapy! Oh joy...what could possibly go wrong?'_

Oh snap a one shot that didn't focus on Ami! Yep she only gets a passing mention for time sake. The beginning of this would probably be about three months before Ami arrived and ends shortly after she arrives. I tried not to make it too tragic. But I needed a good strong reason as to why he's the way he is in Ami focused one shots. And this showed up. I had originally wanted to add a flashback to Larten's death, but I couldn't find a right place for it.

And I may or may not have reconned a character's death.

Read and Review~


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